In The Wake
by Anom
Summary: Repo! The Genetic Opera. A collection of short pieces following Shilo after the credits finish rolling. A girl alone in a cruel world, Shilo ends up running into the only person she really knows anymore. Her father probably wouldn't approve.
1. After the Curtain

The Shilo hanging out with GR after the movie seems like its going to be a very popular fanfiction topic(Because I've already seen a few in the very sparse Repo! fics out there now) but it makes enough sense that I want to do it anyway.

Collection of short pieces, loosely connected. Not sure how many or if there will be a distinct end.

Pairing note; Nothing cemented. Definite GrAmber(I love canon) with tones of Grilo(and we'll see where those go).

**-------**

It was all very dramatic, romantic in some senses of the word. The heroine of the opera wandering out into the city that night. Free of all ties, free of an illness that had never been hers, free of everything but herself. Her father's house had passed to her, but after the first night Shilo found being there unbearable and took her newfound freedom to the outside world.

But the operas and movies and stories tended to leave out the part a few days later when, tired and hungry, she still wouldn't go home. Seventeen years of living as a recluse, however, had not prepared her to be on her own in the dismal city and her father had been right, the world was cruel. She had no one to turn to, she hadn't the first clue as to where to start looking for a place to live or a job or anything really. The city stretched out around her, cold and heartless, and if she didn't figure something out soon she would be joining the piles of corpses that littered it.

She wouldn't go back to that house but she stayed in the area. Its not that she knew that part of the city any better, its just the proximity offered her some vague feeling of security. Still, her security blanket didn't make the nights any warmer or safer.

One evening she's walking through the streets, having already given up on bothering with which parts are the 'good' or 'bad' alleys, and she comes upon a familiar scene. Her heart jumps into her throat with something like relief when she recognizes a face in the crowd.

Things must be getting pretty desperate if she's relieved to see him, Shilo thinks, but that doesn't change the fact that she knows him, and once or twice he helped her in the past. Then again, he was also responsible for her getting into trouble in the first place, and she knows she shouldn't be quick to put her faith in criminals. With those warring thoughts in mind, because she can't think of any other option, Shilo starts to make her way over half hoping he won't see her and that she'll just slip by.

"That you, kid?"

No such luck.

The Graverobber pauses mid transaction, holding a scalpel slut's money in one hand, the other halfway to his bag, and gives her a once over. Shilo freezes and fidgets uncomfortably.

"How's life on the street?"

The snide tone and knowing look makes her self conscious. She wonders if its really that obvious she won't go home but he's already turned back to business with a half smirk. Shilo rubs at her arms and notices how dirty her clothes have become so quickly. She wonders what her face looks like.

He's not paying her much attention now. Shilo hangs around the rest of the evening anyway, sometimes close enough for a few terse words, sometimes skirting to the edges of his vision. He humors her just enough without saying anything meaningful, friendly but toying, knowing but not sharing. In other words, the way he always is.

She can't work up the courage to ask and he makes a point not to offer. Hours later she watches him leave, feeling a bit betrayed.

Shilo sleeps on the street again.


	2. I Swallow My Pride

It's all kind of shorts tidbits. I have this habit of starting to write and letting things get so huge I never finish. I tried to keep these down. We'll see how that goes.

I'm also still trying to get a feel for the characters. We'll see how that goes too.

**-------**

The next day she's certain he's waiting for her to ask.

She's not sure if she's too proud or too shy to ask. Maybe she's too smart, she thinks a few times, considering who he is. It doesn't sound like a particularly sane idea, just up and asking a drug dealer for a place to stay. But it would be stupid of her to think she's going to last much longer without him.

She's standing basically at his side and the woman in front of them is giving her a very strange look. Shilo ignores her and tries to work her way to the real question.

"You do this every night?"

"Just about."

He's still playing distant, waiting for her to come to him. Shilo can't quite force the words out yet.

"Do you like it?"

He makes a 'snrk' noise and a face that suggests her question is too absurd to warrant an answer. The customers come and go, some lingering in hopes of enticing a free, or maybe just discounted, hit of Z. He rebuffs the hopefuls as smoothly as he handles the transactions.

Shilo keeps looking straight ahead and is grateful he does the same because is easier for her to talk to him when he's in her peripheral vision instead of looking at her.

"Um...can I...ask you something?"

He sighs in a way that seems to say 'just get on with it'. Shilo's eyes flick around nervously everywhere but at him as she blurts it out,

"I don't have anywhere to stay."

She still won't look at him but she thinks he's smiling. At least he pretends to be surprised as he laughs under his breath,

"Really?"

Shilo feels a spike of panic, he's going to laugh at her, turn her away, and she doesn't have a back up plan. Before she really think about it an apology is pouring out and she's not sure why,

"I sorry, I just thought..."

"What's in it for me?"

He looks down at her, eyes half closed above a teasing, predatory grin.

"I don't have anything."

"Well you aren't going to get very far with that."

She grabbed the end of his sleeve as if he was going to leave.

"I can work! There has to be...!"

He's not even listening before he cuts her off.

"Sure."

"I...What?"

Finally turning toward him Shilo is greeted by that Cheshire cat smile of his.

"I've got a couch and a shower."

Shilo's nagging wariness must have shown because he scoffed and looked annoyed,

"Don't ask if you don't want it."

"Wait! I mean, I'm sorry. I just, I don't really know you and I'm kind of...I mean..."

This time he flat out laughs in her face,

"Kid. If I was going to do something to you I had plenty of chances already."

She starts to relax a bit and its immediately stomped out.

"Unless I'm just waiting to get you back to my place, right?"

Shilo's mouth opens and closes a few times while she tries to come up with something to say.

"...That's not funny."

He gives her a look that suggests he agrees and for a moment Shilo's skin crawls. The he's attending to another customer, leaving Shilo to keep going back and forth on the wisdom of her decision.

What's left of the night passes.

He looks at her, actually paying attention this time. She's hanging on his words with a breath held up in her throat. That's probably why he's talking to her now, things have moved onto his terms.

"Want to call it a night?"

She hesitates.

"Listen." He loops one arm over her shoulder and pulls her in conspiratorially, "I'm going home. You can follow me if you want."

He pats her shoulder before releasing her. She thinks he doesn't smell as bad up close as she thought someone who spends his time around dead bodies should. Maybe that's because she hasn't had a bath in awhile. Shilo blushes thinking about what she must smell like.

He's already walking, but pauses to look back,

"Are you coming?"

She runs to catch up with him

"You owe me for this, kid."

Tired though she is, Shilo musters up some angry defiance.

"My name is Shilo."

He's ignoring her again.

------

His apartment is definitely not in the best part of the city. It's not in the best shape either. And while it's clean of perishables it's cluttered and somehow manages to retain a dingy feel at the same time. The lights are off, reds and blues coming in the windows from floating advertisements and televisions light the room. It's kind of what she expected, she supposes.

There's no tour, he lets them in and goes about routine as usual.

She's not sure what to think of him now.

He knew exactly what he was doing and he knows she needs him. Shilo resents the way he made sure she knew it before letting her in too, she also resents that there isn't much she can do about it. It's probably a good reminder, this way she knows not to be so grateful she forgets what he is.

She finds blankets on her own after he's gone to his room, tomorrow when he's not around she'll look around the rest of the apartment and figure out food. Already Shilo has decided not to confront him about her needs unless she has to. She's too concerned he'll just toy with her more, hold it over her head like he did her desperation in the alley.

It's as good a note as any for their relationship to really start on.


	3. No More Tears

She hasn't really slept yet, instead she just sits on the edge of the couch with her knees tucked up to her chest, thinking.

He leaves her to sulk. Some people have to go to work.

This is the first chance she's had to stop and think since everything happened. The events at the opera were frantic, all flooding her senses before she had time to process them. Then followed her brief but harsh time trying to live on her own. She's cried, yes, but she hasn't been able to really absorb what happened. Now that she had a moment to calm down its suddenly hit her that she's all alone. That she gained and then brutally lost a godmother in a woman she already idolized in the space of a day, that she had been sheltered from everything the world was. That she was almost handed the most powerful company in said world and had the courage to turn it down. Most importantly, now she had time to face the truth about who her father really was, and to think about how much she could really forgive him for.

Needless to say, she's depressed.

He comes home and she hasn't moved, which gives him pause. He shakes his head a bit and walks closer, making sure to leave her some space. When she makes no move to acknowledge his presence he crouches next to the couch and cranes his head to get a look at her face.

She's not crying. She finished crying already. But she's still sad, it reads in every line of her face, right up to her unfocused eyes accented by dark bags. She looks almost ill, she probably will be soon if she keeps this up. If she isn't getting sick already. He's thinking about if he should say something and what it would be when she speaks quietly.

"I miss my dad."

She mumbles it into her knees and turns more away from him. He sighs, then reaches up to ruffle her hair.

"I know kiddo. Just tell me if you need some help with the pain." He adds automatically, maybe trying to lighten the mood, "First hit's free."

He gets a sullen glare in response and thinks that might not have been the right thing to say. He's never been good with empathy, he's never really wanted to be, and his inclination is that this is something she's going to have to work out herself. He consoles himself with the reminder that he's already taken her into his home, that's more than anyone else he's ever known can say.

Starting to get up, he remembers the utter lack of introduction he gave her the previous day.

"Help yourself to the fridge...I don't really cook, but there should be leftover takeout. I'd prefer you didn't starve in my living room." He adds as an afterthought, "There's some extra sheets under the couch."

He thinks he hears a quiet 'thank you', but isn't sure.

The next time he checks on her, Shilo is passed out under a layer of blankets.

-----

They don't see each other very much despite living together. Shilo has spent most of her time sleeping now that she feels fairly safe again. She wakes up at odd hours, mostly the middle of the day. He's all night owl. When he's asleep or not around Shilo works on ways to amuse herself and maybe, eventually, figure out what she's going to do once she gets back on her feet. She's reminded herself a few times already that this is a temporary situation, she should get independent as soon as possible. It's the best thing for both of them.

Despite everything that happened initially she finds herself not ready to venture back outside again. It's comforting having a place to stay again, even if she tiptoes around most of the time trying to feel out the boundaries of their arrangement. So far nothing she's done has seemed to bother him. Not that they talk much.

Although he did move her fledgling bug collection out of the kitchen area. It struck her as pretty funny at the time.

Her bug collection was left in the old house with most of her belongings. She's had to start it over since she got here. Shilo doesn't mind, she actually likes it. It's the idea of starting over with everything that works for her.

Of course, she hasn't left his apartment yet so her new collection is whatever she's caught on the windowsill, but still, it's a start.


	4. Day to Day We Go On

Man, there are reviews! I didn't think the fandom had picked up enough for that yet. Thanks to everyone. There will be more interaction as it moves on I suppose. There's certainly more dialogue in this chapter.

--------------

She just sleeps on his couch all the damn time. He barely ever sees her and when he does its like she's terrified to talk to him. Being shy was something he should have expected, when she finally starts talking he's also expecting to have to teach her a lot of social skills she missed out on growing up in her room. Teaching isn't something he wants to do. Maybe she'll just pick it up from hanging around. No, scratch that, he's not teaching her, and that's final. She can figure it out. First she'll have to wake the fuck up though. All his generosity has meant so far is there's a lump on his couch preventing him from watching tv.

And she eats like a teenager.

Graverobber stands over the lumpy shape that is his new tenant, arms crossed over his chest.

"C'mon kid, get up."

"No."

"Hey, baldy! Get up!"

He snaps a little louder the second time. Shifting under the blankets Shilo thinks that he's making a point to insult her just to get back for how much he startled the first time she took her wig off. But it still stings. The insult has the opposite effect he was going for as Shilo pulls the blanket tighter and her voice sounds distinctly huffy now,

"...Why?"

"So you finally get out of your house just to sit in mine all day?"

When there is no response he yanks the blanket off her. Shilo sits up suddenly with a startled noise. She looks a little scared. He sighs and rubs at his eyes, that wasn't what he was going for.

"Kid. You can't just sit here all the time, go outside."

She leans back into the couch, holding herself.

"I don't know what to do."

"You won't figure it out sitting there."

He says it harshly, not like the encouragement it is. Shilo's starting to think, or at least hope, that most of the unkind things he says don't mean much. He's letting her stay with him, so she knows he not as bad as he wants people to think.

She hopes.

Her trust of people has betrayed her in the past.

Shilo looks up at him and finally asks,

"Can I go with you?"

"Sure. But you have to work."

-------

Maybe she should have asked where he was going first.

Shilo's almost forgotten the needle in her hand she's so intent on bickering about it. He wanted to make her go outside, she'd make him regret it.

"This is so gross."

He's next to her, they're both squatting behind a grave he recently broke open over the body of it's former occupant. The corpse is twisted and rotting on the ground and Shilo is still feeling queasy from the cloud of putrid air the grave released. The smell mellowed out somewhat, but she feels like it'll linger in her nose for a few days.

"You asked to come."

"Not to stick dead things with a needle!"

"Kid, your _hobby_ is sticking dead thing with a needle. You should be having a great time!"

Shilo gives a short, humorless laugh,

"Uh, a dead bug is a _little_ different from a dead human being."

She thinks her point is well made until he just brushes it off.

"Not really."

She gingerly starts to stick the needle into the corpses below her. As the tip punctures skin interesting colors start to ooze out and Shilo has to make a real effort not to stop right then.

"Ugh...Remind me why I'm doing this?

She groans, trying not to look. Graverobber is scanning the graveyard as he answers,

"Because you don't pay rent."

"Rent? On your _couch?_"

The needle is forgotten half way up a corpse's nasal passage in the face of an argument. Even when there's nothing to be disagreeing over, he likes to argue. Shilo is starting to find she does too.

"I know plenty of people who'd happily pay to sleep on my couch."

"Yeah, not people you'd want around!"

A toothy grin, Shilo thinks its the one that means whatever insults he's about to fling he doesn't really mean. Or it could be the one that means he's talking down to her again. She's wondering if she'll ever learn to decipher his facial expressions.

"Probably more interesting than a scrawny shut in. Why do I even put up with you?"

She almost replies that he's not as cruel as he wants people to think and that's why, but catches herself at the last moment. She's not sure that he wouldn't just throw her out to make a point. Instead she punches the needle hard once and feels tissue give way, the needle slowly fills with a viscous neon blue. Extracting it, she holds it up in his face and raises her eyebrows triumphantly,

"There."

She sounds positively haughty, so he refuses to acknowledge her success.

"Now keep at it. A lot of junkies are counting on me."

And then he's stepping away from her, jumping over bodies in search of the good ones leaving her to continue on her own.

Shilo gets the sudden feeling that he's proud of her. Then the thought makes her laugh at herself.

------

It becomes routine. He coaxes her out of the apartment with more ease over the next few nights until he doesn't have to anymore. He lets her come along when he's selling too, but she has to carry the bag because he says she needs to pull her weight. Soon he's pointing out the finer things in their graveyard runs. How to spot what bodies will give what kind of zydrate, what a high quality hit looks like and costs, and starts making sure she knows the Genecop's patrol routines.

Sometimes she helps him gather, other nights she just carries his tools. Sometimes she has to be lookout, but only if they're somewhere he knows is dangerous, or if he gets tired of her company. He usually likes having her around if only to have someone to talk too.

He loves to talk, that much she learned early on back when she still thought he was a hallucination. He loves to talk even when there's really nothing to say. He sings too, in a deep baritone, despite the dangers of being caught at work. He doesn't sing to her but just whatever pops into his head at the time, or if something is on the floating tv screens that he likes. Shilo was a bit uncomfortable at first until she realized it was just a habit of his, probably picked up after a few too many silents nights alone. Now she just listens.

One night she's trailing behind him, bag empty except for gathering tools, as they scope out a promising dumping ground when he starts singing. Hopping over a pile of something that might have once been a person Shilo warns,

"Shouldn't you try being quite? Remember what happened when we met?"

He doesn't look back but does take a break from his song,

"Well maybe this time you'll keep up. " He spares her a familiar snide grin, "And not just stand there for the Genecops."

Shilo sighs a bit, then lights up when she sees small, glowing insect crawl out of a nearby body. Graverobber's curious about her sudden change of mood until he sees what she's looking at, then rolls his eyes.

"You and your bugs."

She produces a tin and starts to stalk the small creature, completely enthralled by it shining abdomen. He waits until the tin slams down and she has her victory before snapping a little,

"Hey, we're working here! Do that later."

Shilo has a goofy grin on her face when she catches up,

"This's the same kind of bug I was chasing when we met."

He scoffs a little,

"Cute."

She's beaming at the closed tin,

"Did you know they glow because they eat the corpses? They're basically full of zydrate."

She really loves those bugs, Graverobber thinks. Get her started and she'd prattle off any number of facts about them. He's not stupid, but when she really gets going he doesn't understand half the words coming out of her mouth. He doesn't bother telling her that he'd figured that much out himself, even tried extracting from a few larger of the bugs he'd seen around. His interest in insects had faded when that proved fruitless.

"That's great."

He says in an off hand, dismissive way. Shilo's not really put out by his disinterest anymore, she just tucks the tin away with a smile.

---------

It's later and she's sprinting to keep up with him while the sirens blare behind them. They're jumping over debris, flying through the graveyard back into the city, and he's laughing.

"See? I knew you could do it!"

She tries to run faster, her lungs burning, fear and adrenalin pumping through her veins. Geneco's police are yelling somewhere behind them and Shilo wonders how good their aim is.

"I hate you!"

"Calm down, kid, enjoy yourself!"

When they make it to an alley he deems safe Shilo collapses on the street, coughing and wheezing. She's never run very far before. Her body aches as the adrenalin starts to wear off and she's trembling so hard she isn't sure she could stand up if she tried. Gasping in air she looks around until she can locate Graverobber.

He's panting too, catching his breath, he still manages to laugh a little at her,

"Exercise'll do you some good."

If she could catch her breath, she'd say some nasty things to him right now.


End file.
